18 – The emergence of Court and Country 'parties’

What was the Exclusion Crisis?

attempt to exclude James, Duke of York, from the throne

What underpinned the Exclusion Crisis?

Whigs' fear of absolutism and Catholicism

What was the court party?

supporters of the aims of the king

What was the court party's role in parliament?

acted as clients of the king and spoke on his behalf

When did the development of court and country 'parties' start?

when cabal was in power

When did the Cabal collapse?

1674

When was the Green ribbon club founded?

1674

What was the green ribbon club?

an opposition grouping (part of the country party)

Where was the green ribbon club founded?

London (king's head tavern)

Who was the most important figure in the court party?

Danby

Who were the most important figures in the country party? (4)

Shaftesbury, Buckingham, William Coventry, William Cavendish

What were the interests and aims of the court party? (2)

to tolerate dissenters and Catholics, to strengthen ties with Catholic France

What were the interests and aims of the country party? (3)

anti-Catholic policies, wanted to defend Protestantism domestically and abroad, were hostile to dissenters, Catholics and France

Who were the country party hostile towards? (3)

dissenters, Catholics, France

What was the court party's relationship with parliament?

they manipulated it via crown patronage

What was the country party's relationship with parliament? (2)

distrusted the government, wanted to defend the rights of parliament against crown prerogative

Why did the country party distrust the government?

believed it was corrupt and wasteful

Who was William Coventry?

prominent in attacks against Clarendon in 1667, imprisoned in tower of London in 1669 for challenging Duke of Buckingham, prominent in parliamentary attacks on Danby, didn't support exclusion

Who was William Cavendish?

feared popery and the French, distrusted the Stuarts, made frequent attacks on the Cabal in 1673 and 74, active role in trying to impeach Danby, voted against exclusion

When was the pamphlet 'a letter from a person of quality' written?

November 1675

Who probably wrote 'a letter from a person of quality'?

Shaftesbury

What was in the 'letter from a person of quality'? (2)

argued that there was a conspiracy to impose absolutism through a standing army, also said that the court party sought to turn parliament into a body merely supplying money to the crown

When was 'an account of the growth of popery and arbitrary government' written?

December 1677

Who wrote 'an account of the growth of popery and arbitrary government'?

Andrew Marvell

What was in the 'account of the growth of popery and arbitrary government'?

Marvell argued that there was a plan to make England into 'an absolute tyranny' and to make the main religion Catholicism not Protestantism

When was the peace of Nijmegen?

1678

What was the peace of Nijmegen?

peace treaty between the Dutch and French

Why did Charles prorogue Parliament after the peace of Nijmegen?

he no longer needed war funds

How did Charles raise the country party's fears of absolutism after the peace of Nijmegen?

he kept his 30,000 troops

When was Danby sacrificed by Charles?

1678

Why was Danby sacrificed by Charles?

parliament discovered that he went along with Charles' links with the French

What are Harris' criteria for the prestige of a monarch? (4)

be majestic, achieve glory for the nation trough foreign policy, defend the protestant faith, protect the subjects in lawful rights

What is Harris' view of Charles II?

he completely failed in all the criteria for a good monarch

Who were the Whigs?

party which sought the supremacy of parliament and wanted exclusion

Who were the Tories?

party which opposed the exclusion of James from the succession

Which 'party' did the Whigs derive from?

country

Which 'party' did the Tories derive from?

court

How did Whigs view Tories?

as promoting popery

How did Tories view Whigs?

as republicans

What were Tory beliefs?

anti-exclusionist, believed in divine right of kings, believed civil authority came from God, no right of resistance, threat of absolutism came from dissenters and parliament, upheld the church of England

What were Whig beliefs?

exclusionist, believed in civil authority from people, believed in right of resistance against tyranny, believed the threat of absolutism was linked to Catholicism, were more favourable towards religious tolerance

Who wrote 'Patriarcha'?

Robert Filmer

When was 'Patriarcha' published?

1680

What was the subtitle to 'Patriarcha'?

the natural power of kings defended against the unnatural liberty of the people

What were the arguments of 'Patriarcha'? (4)

people were originally free, royal/ patriarchal authority descended from Adam, upheld the DROK, Parliament was only called from the time of Henry I so the people had no right to representation

Who opposed the 'Patriarcha'?

John Locke

Who wrote the 'Treatise of Two Governments'?

John Locke

What was in the 'Treatise of Two Governments'? (4)

argued for equality of man, popular sovereignty, law of nature, right of resistance

What are the key tenets of classical liberal theory? (4)

freedom, individualism, rationalism, limited government

What was Rousseau's idea of the social contract?

individuals surrender some freedoms and submit to be ruled in exchange for protection their rights and social order

How did Locke push the idea of the social contract even further?

said that when government fails to secure the rights of the citizens, the citizens have the right to withdraw their obligation to obey (eg demand change of leadership, violence)